Singh on course for strong showing at the Masters

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Here's how Ponte Vedra Beach resident Vijay Singh began his tune-up for the Masters:

He broke the tournament record by four strokes, made only two bogeys over 72 holes, and won the Shell Houston Open by six shots, the largest margin on tour this season.

So much for his 102-week winless streak.

By getting his first victory since the 2000 Masters, a span of 50 starts, Singh went from being in a slump to being one of the legitimate favorites for the green jacket in two weeks.

He has the power to contend with the course changes made at Augusta National, newfound confidence, and, as he showed this week, the unshakable ability to post low numbers with minimal mistakes.

"I wanted to get into contention before the Masters," said Singh, whose previous best this season was fifth at the Genuity Championship. "I couldn't find a better way to do it than win a golf tournament. You can't find a better time for it to come than two weeks before the Masters."

Singh's Masters victory gave him elite status. But the longer he went without winning, the more pressure he put on himself.

He racked up a tour-leading 14 top-10s last year. Although those top-10s kept the cash register ringing, they did not satisfy a player who is so driven to succeed that he breaks curfew on practice ranges.

Singh struggled so much over the lack of wins that he made a determined effort to loosen up this season. He tried to have fun, heaven forbid, and just play golf without beating himself up over the results.

"You always get antsy," he said. "It really depends on how you handle it. Towards the end of last year, I was getting a little bit too agitated about it and wanted to win too badly. It kind of affected my golf game. "

For a player known for obsessive work habits, Singh made it look easy during the final round at the TPC at The Woodlands.

He was supposed to be the one playing it safely while protecting a 3-shot lead. Instead, he tied the best score of the final round with a 4-under 68. His closest pursuers, Darren Clarke and Jose Maria Olazabal, never made runs. Clarke shot 71, and Olazabal shot 70.

Despite the winless streak, Singh never allowed himself to look vulnerable.

"He was real steady," said Olazabal, the world's hottest player with six top-nine finishes in eight starts. "He didn't make any mistakes."

Singh opened with a birdie to take a four-shot lead over Clarke, and never let his lead slip below three. He could have made his victory speech on the 13th green, the par-5 over water that he reached in two with a 5-wood.

That shot epitomized Singh's no-worry approach.

He easily could have hit a lay-up shot and still had a birdie chance. Instead, he took a big risk with a 230-yard shot into a slight breeze. But Singh's shot just made it over the water, bounced off the mound and to about six feet. Clarke missed his birdie putt, and Singh two-putted for birdie and a four-shot lead.

Asked if he thought about playing that hole conservatively, Singh grinned.

"Any other day I would have gone for it," he told reporters. "I could have laid up and chunked it in the water, and you guys would have had a ball."